In the cozy warmth of the living room, Utaha sat on Haru's lap, dressed in a sultry bunny girl outfit. The scent of her freshly bathed skin mixed with her natural perfume, diffusing gently through the air and teasing his senses.
Her bare, makeup-free face was flushed with a soft blush, and her eyes shimmered with a seductive glint—though hidden beneath was a touch of girlish shyness. Her supple, voluptuous body leaned tightly into him, her cheeks so warm it felt like the temperature in the room had risen several degrees.
Haru knew full well she was up to something. Still, he had to take the call.
It was from Yukino. She wouldn't be calling without a reason.
Just to be safe, Haru gave Utaha's slim waist a gentle squeeze.
Tidecaller, activate.
"Ahhn~"
Her eyes fluttered and her body suddenly melted into his arms. Her gaze, flushed and dreamy, could drip honey.
After all this time, Haru knew her weak points all too well—her soft waist, those delicate earlobes—they were her "critical hits."
"Sorry, senpai. I need you to behave for a bit."
Meeting her teary, begrudging gaze, he finally answered the phone.
Yukino's voice came through, crisp and to the point as always."Haru, if you're free tomorrow, can you prepare a drawing board? My sister's taking us out for sketching."
"A drawing board? No problem. But I won't need one, will I?"
He could hear the reluctance in her voice—it was probably another one of Haruno's schemes that left her with no choice.
"If you're interested, you could bring one too," she replied.
"I'll pass. Drawing's not really my thing... Hey, are you not coming home today?"
"I'll be back at the club tomorrow afternoon."
Then, as if something occurred to her suddenly, she asked quickly:"Did Senpai drop by today?"
"She—"
Just as Haru began to answer, the bunny girl in his arms leaned in close, her face flushed as she whispered sensually:
"Meow~"
Haru froze.
A heavy silence blanketed the other end of the line.
One second later, Yukino's voice came through, sharp as ice."Don't tell me that was Jelly making that sound."
"Why can't it be Jelly?" Utaha chimed in with smug delight.
"Because Jelly can't make sounds that lewd," Yukino fired back without missing a beat.
Utaha's smile instantly froze.
Meanwhile, the chubby orange cat on the floor rolled over and went back to napping, as if nothing had happened.
Haru could only sigh. He already knew what was coming.
Sure enough, the next moment, Yukino's cold voice rang out again:"I've changed my mind. I'll pack up and have the driver bring me back now."
Utaha sat bolt upright. "You're serious?"
"Do I strike you as the joking type?" Yukino shot back with a biting tone.
Utaha was speechless.
Only now did she realize—she'd screwed up.
Her CD was off cooldown, her bunny girl outfit was her trump card, and she was this close to sealing the deal!
But she had underestimated her opponent.
Composing herself quickly, she shot Haru a sly smile."Your free trial privilege card has expired. Please recharge."
Recharge? Probably that means "charge forward," right?
After hanging up, Utaha climbed off Haru's lap, crossed her arms, and looked down at him smugly."You're in trouble now."
Haru chuckled helplessly. "You're the one who's clearly upset. Why pretend you're not?"
Utaha pouted. "Fine. I admit I let my guard down."
If only she hadn't provoked Yukino, she might've been able to go full offense tonight in her ultimate outfit.
With no other option, she changed back into her proper pajama set.
By the time Yukino arrived, suitcase in hand, Utaha was sitting primly on the sofa, cuddling the orange cat like a model student. Haru got up to help with her luggage.
As Yukino handed it to him, she glanced over at the couch."You're dressed surprisingly conservatively."
Utaha didn't even flinch. "Why so surprised? Pajamas are designed for comfort. What else would I wear this late at night?"
Yukino sat beside her and replied calmly, "I really have to admire you. You lie so brazenly, yet act like you're perfectly justified."
"You're saying I was lying? Just because you say so?"
"Oh? You changed into pajamas last-minute. Were you hoping they'd boost your courage, Senpai?"
"Sorry to disappoint you, Yukinoshita. This has always been the extent of my courage."
"Is that so? Want me to play back some of your finest dramatic performances?"
Yukino pulled out her phone with a casual air.
Utaha could no longer keep her composure—her beautiful face instantly turned bright red."Yukinoshita!"
Yukino gave a short, amused laugh. "So this is the confidence you boast about? This is what you call grace under pressure?"
Utaha grit her teeth. Having her weakness held hostage felt terrible—especially when it was Yukinoshita, the one person most capable of exploiting it.
Absolutely the worst-case scenario.
"Ladies, I hate to interrupt," Haru said as he returned from placing Yukino's luggage in the bedroom, putting on a butler's tone. "It's getting late. If you two start arguing now, the neighbors won't be happy."
Both beautiful girls glared at him in unison.
They could tell he was just trying to play peacemaker.
Still, he had a point—it was getting late.
Yukino put her phone away and headed to her room to change into her pajamas.
Utaha clenched her small fists and turned to Haru, whispering in frustration,"Haru, could you sneak into her room and steal her phone for me?"
He sighed. "Give it up, Senpai. The fact that you're thinking of resorting to theft already means Yukino's definitely got a backup."
Utaha froze, her expression shifting dramatically."You mean—"
Haru coughed lightly. "Exactly. Knowing how meticulous she is, there's no way she only made one copy."
"Tch… What a formidable opponent," Utaha muttered.
Haru relaxed.
She wasn't panicking or sulking—in fact, that stubborn glint in her eyes meant she was still in fighting spirit.
And that meant she had the courage to keep going.
That night, Yukino slept in the master bedroom, while Utaha took the guest room.
Haru was lying on the living room couch playing a gacha game on his phone when a message popped up from Yukino:
Come in.
He blinked in confusion.She's in the mood for that tonight? Isn't it a little early? It's only 11 PM...
He got up and headed to the master bedroom. As he opened the door, he saw Yukino sitting up by the headboard.
"You're sleeping here tonight. No more sofa," she said without looking up.
"You sure?" Haru asked instinctively. "Aren't you worried Senpai might see us in the same bed tomorrow morning and get the wrong idea?"
Yukino smirked. "You think I don't know she'd sneak out to the living room in the middle of the night looking for you?"
A chill ran down Haru's spine.
"She thinks she's being subtle," Yukino continued, her tone amused. "But it's precisely that blind confidence of hers that lets me see right through her."
"So, lovely Miss Yukinoshita... what exactly is Senpai's true nature?" Haru leaned in like a loyal minion.
Yukino gave him a teasing look. "Already fishing for intel to pass on?"
"No, no, just curious," Haru quickly shut up when he sensed her annoyance.
Yukino didn't press further, her expression returning to calm. As if talking to herself, she murmured,"She'll probably come knocking when she sees you're not in the living room. But this time... I'm not planning to go easy on her."
"What are you going to do?"
"Did you see the folder labeled 'Senpai's Greatest Hits' on my phone?"
Haru gave a little salute. "Savage."
Yukino tilted her head. "'Savage'? Why use the word 'savage'? Doesn't that mean something else?"
"It's a compliment," Haru said sincerely. "It means you're really badass."
She didn't believe him and quickly searched it up on her phone.
A moment later, she frowned. "So it can also mean something like mafia business or someone not to be messed with?"
Haru chuckled.
He had expected this and raised his index finger."Let me give you an example. You know the short-video platform Kuaishou, right?"
"Yes. You've told me before. There's also Douyin and Bilibili, all popular platforms."
"Perfect. So imagine Kuaishou just went public. The shareholders are all ecstatic. If they shouted, 'Kuaishou—chong ah!', how many meanings do you think that sentence could have?"
Yukino narrowed her eyes."Doesn't it just mean, 'Charge forward with all you've got'? Are there other meanings?"
Haru said nothing, just smiled.
Yukino recognized that smug look instantly and turned her head away with a huff.
On the surface, she looked uninterested. But deep inside, her brain was spinning, trying to figure out how many layers that phrase had.
Unfortunately, her understanding of memes and risqué slang was far too limited. Even after the lights were out, she hadn't found an answer.
Haru lay next to her, and she didn't want to look anything up on her phone in front of him—it would be too embarrassing.
Especially since he had personally given her this challenge. It wasn't like that "savage" joke from earlier.
Sure enough, not long after lights out, a voice came from outside.
Utaha.
But Yukino was ready. Without even getting up, she casually called out:
"Senpai, here to rewatch your defeat compilation?"
There was a long pause... then retreating footsteps.
Utaha had left.
But that didn't mean she was giving up.
Sometime later in the night, Yukino had unconsciously snuggled into Haru's chest and fallen into a peaceful sleep. He, too, had drifted off.
But with his maxed-out [Steel Body] passive skill, Haru's need for sleep was drastically reduced. Even in deep sleep, he could react to the slightest disturbance.
Like right now.
In the pitch-black room, a faint creaking sound came from the door—